health care. In May, the Bangladeshi authorities took more than 300 Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char, a remote silt island in the Bay of Bengal. By December the authorities had relocated a further 1,642 Rohingya refugees to the island. The authorities planned to relocate about 100,000 refugees to Bhashan Char, a move which was largely opposed, principally by human rights organizations, as the island is prone to regular floods, especially during the rainy season, and is vulnerable to frequent cyclones. In interviews with Amnesty International, at least five Rohingya family members representing 23 refugees alleged that the authorities had coerced them to relocate to the island.4
RIGHT TO HEALTH The COVID-19 pandemic put an enormous strain on the country’s health care system. Given the history of low public health care spending in the country, facilities were found to be inadequate, ill-prepared and illequipped to tackle the crisis.5 According to the Bangladesh Medical Association, more than 8,000 health workers, including 2,887 physicians, 1,979 nurses and 3,245 other medical staff tested positive for COVID-19. Among them, at least 123 physicians died, and the Doctors’ Association stated that the infections among medical staff could have been reduced if immediate measures had been taken. The lack of available and accessible critical health care services related to COVID-19 created a major public health crisis across the country, as many public and private hospitals turned away patients with COVID-19 symptoms due to fear of infection, even though they had capacity. This practice led to the deaths of hundreds of people.
WORKERS’ RIGHTS When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in early March, the Bangladeshi authorities introduced nationwide lockdown measures termed “public holidays”, from late March to May. During the lockdown, major business activities were disrupted, and freedom of
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movement was restricted. The disruption to economic activity and the closure of businesses led many workers to either lose their jobs or experience a significant drop in income. The workers affected by the crisis had little or no social protection, so their right to work and to an adequate standard of living were significantly undermined. More than five million workers in the informal sector, and approximately four million garment workers (80% of whom were women), were most affected. 1. Bangladesh: Escalating attacks on the media must stop (Press release, 8 October) 2. Bangladesh: Rising attacks on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be urgently stopped (Press release, 11 August) 3. Let us speak for our rights: Human rights situation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh (ASA 13/2884/2020) 4. Bangladesh: Plan to relocate hundreds of Rohingya to remote island must be dropped (Press release, 20 November) 5. Bangladesh must put human rights at the centre of its COVID-19 response strategies (ASA 13/2268/2020)
BELARUS Republic of Belarus Head of state: Alyaksandr Lukashenka Head of government: Raman Halouchanka (replaced Sergei Rumas in June) The year was characterized by recurrent peaceful protests, with the presidential election in August serving as a catalyst for the most egregious crackdown on freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Belarus’ post-independence history. Opposition candidates, their campaign teams and associates were arrested on false charges or forcibly exiled. Police used excessive and indiscriminate force to disperse demonstrations. Tens of thousands of peaceful protesters and bystanders were detained, and many of them tortured or otherwise ill-treated. Journalists, medics, students, union leaders and others were also targeted with arrest, beatings and prosecution. The government’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Amnesty International Report 2020/21
